Oklahoma Senate Passes $510M Budget Plan

OKLAHOMA CITY -
The Oklahoma Senate has passed a budget bill that they estimate would generate $510 million dollars in revenue to the state.

The plan includes a cigarette tax ($1.50 per pack) and a fuel tax (+$0.06 per gallon on gasoline and diesel), and rolls back rebates on gross production for the oil and gas industry.

The plan also repeals the manufacturing tax exemption for the wind industry. It also includes a fuel apportionment modification, to temporarily divert funds in general revenue. The Senate approved the budget plan by a vote of 36 to 9.

The Speaker of the House, Charles McCall issued the following statement regarding the Senate’s plan:

The Senate budget plan has already been proposed by House Republicans, and it was found to have no bipartisan support for the fuel tax. The Senate has known this for weeks, so what they proposed today is not a real solution to the budget problem. Per our Constitution, revenue raising measures must start in the House. We have a bipartisan plan in place in the House that, with Senate approval, would unlock $436 million in revenue for the budget.

Also in the Oklahoma House Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget (JCAB), several bills were passed, including a a bill to increase the Cigarette Tax to $0.67 per pack, a bill for biennial vehicle registration, and a version of the casino gaming bill, that excludes the provision to allow sports betting.